Kitz Forum

Computer Software => Security => Topic started by: oldfogy on July 21, 2006, 01:15:05 AM

Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 21, 2006, 01:15:05 AM: I would like to show an e-mail address on a web-site but would like to encrypt it to stop it being "harvested".

A bit like your Kitz,
You can click it, thats ok it opens the e-mail account.
But try to copy and paste and it comes out something else.

Your suggestions would be most appreciated.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 21, 2006, 11:28:50 AM: The one I use is fairly simple - and no guarantees - but touch wood it seems to have done the trick for me.
There are others around but the one I use is based on creating a style in you CSS which enables you to view the addy, but not "read it", (if that makes sense).

The downside is that although you can view it - clicking on the link means that software cant read it properly - but thats what stops the spam bots from harvesting it in the first place.

If you want the script feel free take it from the html/ .css file.
Its not *my script* and tbh I cant even remember where I got it from now.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 21, 2006, 11:31:07 AM: save you looking it up in the style sheet its

.backwards {unicode-bidi:bidi-override; direction: rtl; color:#0000CC;}

then simply apply that particular style to your addy remembering to type it in reverse.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 21, 2006, 03:46:04 PM: Thanks, I don't fully understand what you are saying so I'll have a play and see if I can figure it out. :oops:

I used MS FrontPage XP to create the web pages (site) if thats any help.

Have not hosted it yet. Just waiting for a host, probably use 1&1,
but for a first attempt with a "strange" program it's not too bad.
Just lacks the profession look (at the moment).
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 21, 2006, 08:59:26 PM: I dont use FP but there are quite a few tutorials on the web how to use CSS with FP.
However there is a real quick and easy way of doing this.

In between the head of your html add the following

<html>
<head>
Code: [Select]
<style type="text/css"> .backwards {unicode-bidi:bidi-override; direction: rtl; color:#0000CC;} </style>
</head>

You can set the colour of the text using color# or you dont need to include it

Finally then you apply the style to the address by doing the following in the body section of the html. eg

Code: [Select]
ku.oc.ereh@em This is some backwards text

Hope this helps :)
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 21, 2006, 10:41:24 PM: Thanks again Kitz.

I think I may have found a way around it!
With the hyperlink in place and only showing the first part i.e. click here to message Oldfogy - and leaving out the @hotmail.co.uk part in the text.

I don't know if the "harvesting" programs are cute enough to be able to detect that type of set-up?
although I get spam on my personal address which is NEVER given out on the net, so may have to wait and see.

Although I will certainly look into your suggestion.
Thanks
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 22, 2006, 01:24:18 AM: Hi phil

>> click here to message Oldfogy

Maybe Im missing something here - I cant see if they click the link then how they would know which domain (@hotmail / @mydomain.com / @myisp.net etc) to send it to.

...unless you mean you still put in the full address in the email link, behind what you read.
In which case then yes it would get picked up since the spam harvester bots dont read the viewable text, they actually read direct from the html.

Instead they scan the actual html file looking for anything with the @ symbol which indicates that may it be an email address.
The backward script works simply on the basis that bots will harvest ku.oc.ereh@em which isnt a valid email address.

The way to think of it is that these bots are programs that cant/dont "view" what we see on the screen but instead "reads" the html.
Using javascript or CSS is a way to alter what the html displays to a viewer on screen.

Hope that makes sense.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 22, 2006, 01:46:27 AM: Quote from: "kitz"
unless you mean you still put in the full address in the email link, behind what you read.
In which case then yes it would get picked up since the spam harvester bots dont read the viewable text, they actually read direct from the html.
Thanks again, back to the drawing board then, because yes, it's as you say behind what you see.

I just need to spend a little more time and try to understand more of that which you have already mentioned. (I'm a little thick) :oops:
All of which you say makes some sense to me but I'm still a little confused, but will get there soon.

This is my first time of using FP and still finding my way around as to how to access certain features, like the one you mention.
I'll keep you posted "soon"

Phil
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 22, 2006, 03:06:07 AM: >> (I'm a little thick)

grrr.. no... the fact that you have come this far doesnt imply that at all. (https://forum.kitz.co.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emotionless.co.uk%2Femotes%2Fa%2Fangry03.gif&hash=717725baf7f8fb9819ca8753b278924186fd9bbb)
We all have to learn sometime.

I dont use FP (and tbh Im not going to open it as it will likely try and take over all my html files)... but it should have a html editor in it where you can see the raw html rather than the wysiwyg graphical interface.

Look for the <html> and <head> tags and somewhere before the </head> tag insert the style type code (you can copy and paste it in from the post above).

Then where you want the email address to show on the page insert the bit thats like this:

Code: [Select]
ku.oc.ereh@em

----

tip

If you are finding it hard to find where you want the enter the email address type something that would stand out from in the wysiwyg view like a row of exclamation marks.
- Swap to the html view,
- find the row of !!!!!!!!!!
- paste in the address bit on a new row underneath,
- swap back to graphical view and delete the row of !!!!!!!! or whatevers.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 22, 2006, 03:10:32 AM: PS just looked up where to find html view in FP

Bottom of page here
http://javascript.internet.com/tutorials/frontpage2000.html

If you then go on to the next page it shows you how to insert scripts similar to the one I gave above.

http://javascript.internet.com/tutorials/frontpage2000b.html
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 22, 2006, 03:18:53 AM: <blink>

<a title="Click here to send your message" href="mailto:myaddress@hotmail.co.uk?subject=Comment">
myaddress</a></blink>

***************
This is what is showing at the moment (have changed the spelling of oldfogy).
Line 4, the last one is what is showing on the sheet.

[edited by kitz to remove addy ]
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 22, 2006, 04:07:15 AM: OK, have sort of got the text showing although it's "backwards" at the moment. "Halfway there at least"
But I think I may be barking up the wrong tree.

(I think what I am after is the best of both worlds)
I want to be able to encrypt the click-able hyperlink that automatically starts the email program, as it does at the moment.

So far "although not finished" am I right in thinking, the backward script allows the email address to be shown (which makes it harder to harvest), but does not start the email program?

If this is so, then sorry for the confusion but it's not what I want, and may have to live with any spam that may appear.

Think I'll go and sleep on it.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 22, 2006, 07:59:36 AM: The problem is your email software is going to read it in exactly the same way as the spam harvesters software does.
Thinking there must be another script somewhere Ive just been on a search and come up with this lil gem which looks quite good

Simply insert this code

edit... I cant paste the code, because the forum software is "reading" it and therefore it views wrong and doesnt show the proper code.

Go here
http://www.mways.co.uk/prog/hidemail.php

Insert your email address
Choose the JavaScript Option
Copy the code exactly and paste in your web page

[ps edited your post above to remove addy now Ive seen what you were trying to do]
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 22, 2006, 01:37:11 PM: That looks "brill" and sounds just what I want.
Will try it later today and let you know how it's going.

Phil
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 24, 2006, 12:50:40 AM: :x If I scream loud enough I think you may hear me. So I'll just bite my tongue.

Well the last tip looked and read the job, but still no good. I tried it on a blank page so as not to put it in the wrong place, needles to say it pastes ok, but then appears on the sheet as the complete formulae.

I am going to try FP 2003, or even Dream weaver, instead of FP XP just in case their is a problem with XP, I know I may joke about being thick, but it's either something really simple I am missing or possibly a problem with the program.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: kitz on July 24, 2006, 03:39:41 AM: Seems to work for me OF. Just tried it and uploaded to my site to check it works ok and it seems to.

(I think I may swap things round a bit later and write something of my own though at a later point).

One thing that does occur to me - when you paste in the script you have to do it in html view rather than design view.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 24, 2006, 09:35:26 AM: Just a quick reply as I have to rush out.

Yes it was in design mode.
Title: How to mask e-mail address?
Post by: oldfogy on July 25, 2006, 04:00:50 AM: \:D/
Eureka, well it now works, but to be honest I could not really describe properly what I did to get it to work,
(Only because I tried that many different things).

But, I stuck with Office XP with Front Page, "which was more than likely a bad move", because at one point (late on) I tried something that then said "Front Page can't use Web Scripting" (but it can really) it's just that it's not loaded by de-fault, it has be loaded separately, which also was not on the Office XP Pro disc, it's on the Office 2000 disc. (But I don't think that was the problem anyway).

But, I tried copying the formulae into Notepad and ran it from there, and it worked "FIRST TIME" so now I knew it was not me being TIC.

OK, copied over into FP, then noticed it was split onto different lines, this turned out to be because each time I copied the formulae I had pasted it into notepad first, then re-copied over to FP and because I had word wrap turned ON, "it put a line break into it" which then gave a wrong result.

(Nearly there)
This is where I now go and B***er it up, (but it's still working).

In design view initially I think it showed ok, but then I did something that changed it into a square box with a tick in it (but still working).
I think I put a line break at the start of the formulae to try and insert a different colour and that seemed to be the problem (but it's still working).

But in preview mode it shows "PERFECT" and that's all that matters, except it's the wrong colour.
I've tried most things but can't change the colour, I think it would have to be done in the actual formulae. But I can live with that.

The end,
Saved and switched off. (whilst it's still working).

Just need to find the Host's address/URL, which is not being very fruitful at the moment, so I'll ring them later today.
Not a company I have had dealings with in the past, and their customer control panel is rubbish. (They were not my choice).
http://www.123-reg.co.uk

Credits to yourself Kitz for your patience and help.